Nazri, what’s your problem with English?

It seems that Culture and Tourism Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz is not a very popular figure in Sarawak. He has ruffled the feathers of many Sarawakians of late.

A few months ago, he had an unpleasant exchange with Sarawak Tourism Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah over the new tourism tax.

Not unexpectedly, Sarawakians rallied behind their minister in the spat, which later saw the state government closing down the tourism centre run by the federal Tourism Ministry in Kuching.

I believe what my fellow Sarawakians took exception to then was Nazri’s personal attack against Abdul Karim, calling him an “inexperienced administrator who has just been appointed a minister”. That is just short of calling the Sarawak minister a schoolboy.

Initially, I didn’t think Nazri was wrong to point out that Karim should have consulted him on the matter instead of going to the media to express Sarawak’s objection to the new tourism tax.

Karim should have done that as this was a BN cabinet decision. But Nazri, being Nazri, did not stop there. He lashed out at Karim’s personality and that is where Nazri crossed the line, as many had noted.

Hardly had the dust settled, and Nazri found himself on the receiving end of a Sarawakian backlash yet again – this time on the subject of English.

Speaking at the National Language Month at the Academi Seri Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara) recently, Nazri said that English was a threat to Bahasa Malaysia and that “Malaysians have to protect the national language by stopping the widespread advancement of English in the country”.

He also pointed out that English is not a language that guarantees progress, and he blamed the private sector for the advancement of English in Malaysia.

The minister’s statement received an immediate rebuke from a Chinese community leader, Richard Wee, from Sarawak.

Insult to Adenan

Wee, president of the Federation of Chinese Associations for Kuching, Samarahan and Serian divisions, called on Sarawakians to stand united in condemning Nazri for his statement which was uncalled for especially for someone holding the culture and tourism portfolio

“Such a statement should not come from a minister who is supposed to be promoting Malaysia as a multiracial, multireligious and multilingual society.

“Yet, here he is saying that English is a threat to Bahasa and that its advancement should be stopped. To me, he is a hypocrite,” he said.

Wee stressed that learning English does not mean that one should stop learning Bahasa Malaysia. Many Sarawak leaders, he noted, are well-versed in the two languages, while some are even trilingual.

The fact that Nazri tries to belittle English and views the learning of English as an attack on the national language shows that he is a short-sighted leader, Wee charged.

I am actually surprised that the minister was ticked off by a community leader from Sarawak. After all, he did not make the statement in the Hornbill State.

Then again, Wee is a businessman and not an opposition politician, and this is the first time I’ve heard of the Kuching entrepreneur lashing out at a federal minister.

As a Sarawakian, I should understand Wee’s unhappiness and disgruntlement with Nazri’s statement.

You see, we hold English dearly in Sarawak and we take pride in communicating in the language. Many are fluent in English and the state government has been promoting its usage. Even lawmakers can debate in English (and in Iban as well) in the state legislative assembly, a practice since Independence.

Sarawak is the only state in the country that has adopted English as its official language apart from Bahasa Malaysia.

Announcing his decision on the matter in 2015, then chief minister, the late Adenan Satem said that it was a practical and logical step.

“I have been labelled as not being nationalistic or patriotic enough by others when I advocate for the use of English in Sarawak. I am just being practical and logical,” he had said.

Adenan also said the use of English is necessary and unavoidable, pointing out that it is the language of science.

For Sarawakians, adopting English as an official language in the state is one Adenan legacy that they will cherish. I can still recall the widespread support for the chief minister, including from opposition figures, on this decision.

To Wee and many Sarawakians, Nazri’s ‘condemnation’ of the English language is akin to a serious rebuttal against Adenan’s strong advocate for the use of English.

This is what I can make of Wee’s outburst against the federal minister. I share his sentiments.

Here, I wish to remind Nazri of these words of my late chief minister in 2015: “I do not know who made the decision not to use English in the past, but it has adversely affected other people now.”

To Adenan and Sarawakians, not using English in the past was a mistake. Now, that has to be corrected.

Totally absurd

I must also seriously ask Nazri this question: what is your problem with English?

I find the minister’s statement calling on Malaysians to halt the widespread advancement of English in the country very uncomfortable, worrisome and totally absurd.

Why on earth should anyone, let alone a minister, request others to stop learning a language of international importance? Shouldn’t we all be encouraging each other to learn or master as many languages as possible?

Is the minister not aware of recent reports claiming that graduates in Malaysia are finding it hard to gain employment because of their poor command of English? Doesn’t this prove the need to be proficient in the language?

And yes, Nazri should also find out why Johor ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, has been actively promoting an education system modelled after Singapore’s English medium school system.

Perhaps the minister should also ask himself whether he would be able to get through his law exams if he were not proficient in English.

Or why should he learn English in the first place? After learning and mastering English, is he now a threat to Bahasa Malaysia?

Only Nazri himself has the answer to that.

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FRANCIS PAUL SIAH heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS) and can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com- Mkini